How to generate group unsubscribe link

Question

We're using Google Groups Sync to synchronize our members in CiviCRM with groups in Google Groups. However, if the user unsubscribes from the list using the Google Groups link, Google Groups Sync will automatically re-add them during the next sync cycle.

The solution, I believe, is to include the unsubscribe link CiviCRM would generate if the e-mail originated from CiviMail, but I can't work out how to generate that link.

Is it possible to generate an unsubscribe link manually, or generic enough to include in the footer of Google Groups messages?

Answer 1

I know I asked this question quite some time ago, but I thought I'd share the solution we landed on.

We found and tested two solutions that worked well. The first was using Tags:

• Allow users to manage their tags
• Create tags for the groups members can opt-in/out of
• Create smart groups based on the membership status and tags
• Sync the Google Group to the smart group for the associated tag

The second approach was very similar, but instead of using tags, we used a set of custom fields as checkboxes for each of the groups. We settled on this approach, because it allowed us more control over what was shown to the user and freed up tags for other uses.

Answer 2

I'm not familiar with Google Group Sync, but if the message is not coming from CiviCRM, I'm not seeing how you would include an individualized CiviCRM checksum (generated by a CiviCRM token) for each contact. As you say a generic link to allow anyone to unsubscribe is needed.

An option would be to include a link to a profile that allows people to manage their groups. Since this is a profile that works for anyone, no token is required. But the user would need to log in.

If contacts don't have user accounts or you don't want them to have to login, you could write an extension for the user to request a new link - similar to Pete's idea here: Can an expired checksum provide any warning to the user when they get to the site?